In midsummer, the city of Metropolis is caught in the midst of a bitter snowstorm. As Clark investigates, a message from Laura Vogel comes over the radio, telling Superman to meet her in Park Ferry since she can explain the snowstorm. Before Superman arrives, some foreigners use a glowing globe to disintegrate a girl and a policeman. Superman gets there in time to save Lois from the same fate, but the Arabs get away.

The Black Pirate and his band desperately try to hold off the Red-Raiders at a stockade on a small island in the South Atlantic. After the stockade is burnt down, Jon Valor attempts to get to his ship, but it has been taken by Captain Treble, who takes Jon prisoner.

Clip Carson is in Hollywood, supervising the production of adventure pictures, and he's asked to do an interview for Pierre Renoire of Le Clarion d'Algiers. Clip reminds him of someone, but he's needed on the set. Renoire disguises his assistant, Rudolf, to look like him and sends him to the set, where Mare Temperal is found dead, apparently electrocuted. Clip investigates when he visits Renoire but is denied entry into his home.

Regan of police headquarters asks Zatara for help in a case where wealthy men are killed by the "mottled death." Zatara deduces that it was from the bite of an insect, a South American jungle jumbo. Shortly, he finds out that the Tigress is involved. He follows her and a magician named only The Master to South America.